Recently I have finished a build based on Omnibus F4 Pro and Racerstar 33A 4in1 ESCs. I have flown it three times and the FC stopped working so I had to replace it and since it was clone I have bought the original Omnibus from a friend. After that I have had some problems with ESC desyncs and I have managed to break my X-Foot frame, so instead of ordering another one, since I started to suspect that this will be a problematic build, I have started looking for affordable 200-210mm carbon frames with 4-5mm thick base plate.

After doing some research I have ordered one Loki V1 with 5mm base plate and one V2 with T700 carbon. The V1 one arrived sooner than the other so I have moved everything on this frame. These frames are versatile and could be used both for racing and freestyle. The battery can be placed on the bottom and on the top depending on your style of flying.

This frame costs $30 on Aliexpress. The baseplate is 5mm thick and the top plate is 2mm thick and the overall weight is around 90 grams with hardware.
I have read that some people complain that the carbon isn’t stiff enough and it bends on crashes and I can confirm that this is true, since I have managed to slightly bend one of the arms without breaking it. After that I was able to straighten it up and I have reinforced the arms side walls with super glue which made the arms stiffer.
Overall I’m satisfied with this frame but if I should decide between this one and the V2, I would get the V2

This is upgraded version of the V1, it costs around $36, it is a bit lighter, 82 grams it has titanium screws and it is made of T700 high quality carbon. The bottom plate has recessed bolt holes. The kit also includes camera side plates. I haven’t got my hands on this one, since I’m still waiting it to arrive, but I will update this post with my findings as soon as I got it.

iFlight has been producing a high quality frames for a affordable price for quite a while now. They have several versions of the iX5 based on the build material: carbon fiber, carbon fiber composite and carbon and molding composite material. The overall frame geometry is similar to the Thor frames. The carbon fiber costs $35 and it weights 85 grams, the baseplate is made from 4mm carbon fiber and 2mm top plate. Be aware that this frame uses 28mm standoffs and some cameras may not fit in.

When ordering from iFlight website you have the ability to choose and combine it with additional accessories.
Overall this is really high quality carbon frame that is widely used as a goto frame for cheaper builds. A lot of pilots are flying rigs based on this frame that are around 250 grams range.

The composite version – iFlight RACER iX5S costs $34 and it is based on composite material and 3K carbon sandwich. This combination provides a very light frame 66.7 grams and doesn’t sacrifice the overall toughness. The composite material seems to be balsa wood as stated in the product description.

The molded composite material version – iFlight Ultimate iX5 costs $35 and is similar to the one above with one difference that the carbon fiber sheets are molded around the balsa instead of sandwiched